She first came to prominence when she appeared on MTV's
The City
, on which she was painted as a catty Upper East Side socialite willing to back-stab her way to the top of the fashion career ladder. But since the show was cancelled in October 2010, Olivia Palermo has successfully made the transition from reality TV star to credible fashion maven, shedding her perceived bitchy persona along the way.

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She's now loved for her glossy, Park Avenue Princess style that mixes high street with designer. Unlike many a celebrity, she's never caught having a 'tracksuit day' - instead she is always immaculately preened with subtle make-up and sleek, blow-dried hair, even if she's just walking her dog.

"I get up every morning and I get dressed and I like getting dressed. I like walking out of the house feeling fully pulled together," she tells the October issue of
InStyle
. "It doesn't matter if there's someone standing outside my apartment or not. I couldn't care less. I like getting dressed for me and not them."

These days she's a jack-of-all-trades; model, designer, stylist, editor, brand consultant, blogger, fashion advisor and front row favourite. She's got a model boyfriend, Johannes Huebl, with whom she's regularly photographed canoodling, and 'Brand Palermo' is well on its way to becoming one of fashion's biggest players.

It's not surprising, then, that Palermo is often compared to Kim Kardashian, who also found fame through reality TV and has gone on to launch various fashion brands bearing her name, as well as endorsing those belonging to others.

But Palermo is insistent that this is one comparison she's not happy about. "Whatever she's done, it's worked," she says. "But I do things differently. I'm in fashion. I'm in New York. I'm in London. And I'm in the rest of Europe. She's LA… Our careers are very different. Hers is very much entertainment and working with different brands; and mine is more working on the editorial fashion side, incorporating the luxury market and the modelling aspect of brands. I'm not modelling…"

Quickly back-peddling, she adds: "Yeah, I'm modelling for my own brand, but I'm not selling things that have my name on them. Yet. That's something I'd like to do in the long term, but I have my own vision of what that is and I don't think that is in the same category at all."

Thanks Olivia - "You're so LA" is now our insult of choice.

To read the feature in full, see the October issue of
InStyle,
out tomorrow.